Saint Laurent fashion house causes controversy when letting models go nude

The advertising photos for Saint Laurent's latest campaign have been criticized for being sexually suggestive because they feature 100% nude models.

On June 21, Saint Laurent (YSL) announced its fall menswear campaign designed by Anthony Vaccarello, the brand's creative director. The promotional image attracted attention when it featured a completely nude male model standing with his back to the camera.

"This moment pays homage to scenes once created by masters, from Michelangelo to Caravaggio to Édouard Manet. As contemporary playfulness undermines the campaign's classicism, each image is filled with brazen sensuality," the brand captioned.

YSL's controversial advertising image. Photo: YSL.

Controversy erupted in the comments section. Many accounts said the campaign was offensive and outdated as it still used models showing off their vulgar bodies instead of focusing on highlighting the product image.

Someone wrote: "Please, respect the audience". "The image is very worrying, unnecessary, suggestive and confusing", "What era is this, still using this trick to attract discussion"... are some other comments from netizens.

Meanwhile, some people pointed out that the advertisement image was inspired by Renaissance artworks when looking at the colors and layout. However, the image is sensitive and not suitable for the majority of social media users.

According to MVC Magazine , in this campaign, YSL is trying to recreate the idea of ​​Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe by the late artist Édouard Manet. The original work shows a group of models wearing beautiful clothes, creating a contrast with the naked bodies of other men.

According to WWD , the controversy broke out because many audiences did not understand and did not feel the artistic intention of the campaign, even though the company had explained it from the beginning.

This isn’t the first time YSL has sparked controversy over its sexy advertising. In 2017, the brand’s Spring/Summer campaign featured a pair of trendy tassel earrings. However, model Freja Beha’s full-frontal display sparked controversy for being too suggestive.